The subject invention relates to a container for holding articles, including but not limited to attache cases, travel cases, and suitcases, file cabinets and storage boxes.
Containers and cases are used for holding and carrying articles. They protect articles contained therein and offer manageability in transporting them. Articles for transportation are bundled together in a case for manipulation as a single consolidated item instead of numerous separate elements of different shapes and sizes. Ironically, this major benefit derivable from a case is also closely linked to a source of disadvantages in some cases. If consolidation is well planned and organized, then the utility of a case is maximized; however, if consolidation is achieved without proper means for organization, as is often the case with the prior art, time and energy will be wasted to sort out the various articles and to retrieve these articles from a case.
Some common problems of prior art cases are that articles contained therein are not easily accessible. More often than not, the entire case must be juggled, handled, and manipulated with great effort in order to load or to retrieve particular articles therein. The entire case is one single container. Organization is also a problem; articles of different mix are not properly separated. This problem increases the difficulty in expediently retrieving particular items from a case. The extent of this problem is further magnified by difficulty of access mentioned above. The effectiveness of an organizational scheme can often be diminished by difficulties in access and manipulation of the container during implementation.
A significant advance in the container art occurred when predefined fixed compartments and even removable panels insertable in predefined structural grooves are used for enhancing user convenience and organization. Some removable holding members contain pockets and even variably positionable removable pockets thereon. These advances tend to enhance the manageability and organization of containers or cases for users; however, significant room for improvement remains. The flexibility and organization they provide are still limited and do not make available a truly variable case compartment configuration for ultimate flexibility.
The problems remaining as suggested in the above proceedings are not intended to be exhaustive, but rather are among many which may tend to reduce the effectiveness of prior art cases. Other noteworthy problems may also exist; however, those presented above should be sufficient to demonstrate that an unflexible organizational configuration in a case is undesirable.
The instant invention greatly enhances the organization of articles in a container and ease of access in loading and retrieving articles therefrom. A plurality of re-configurable retaining boards having article holders thereon is provided for easy insertion and removal from a container having means for securely but removably receiving the same.